Attachment for hospital beds



July 23, 1935. E A, RAF'FO y 2,008,770

ATTACHMENT FOR HOSPITAL BEDS Fi1ed June 1, 1932 2 sheets-sheet 1 @Q Z54 Z9 14 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTOR E. A. RAFFO ATTACHMENT FOR HOSPITAL BEDS Filed June 1J 1952 July '23 Patented July 23, 1935 y I UNITED STATES PATENTV OFFICE.

Y `2,008,770 Y l ATTACHMENT Fon HOSPITAL BEDS Emile A. Raffa, New York, N. Y. Application June 1, 1932, Serial No. l614,691

`1 claim. (c1. e-sa) This invention relates to'a patient supporting position off the bedfor purposes of massage, attachment which is'aiixed to hospital beds and treatment, relief or change of bed linen which. more particularlyr to` such an attachment in the could not be effected without such provision. form'of a stretcher frame, the supporting mem- Features of this invention are toy be found in 5 bers whereof comprise laterally spanning strips ythe fact that it is a patient supporting attach-L .5.,

of webbing. 'The use of this atttachment priment, not requiring the substitution of an enmarily provides for maintaining the position of tirely new apparatus for Vthe hospital bed; the

a patient `in a relatively unchanged position with supporting attachment has a rigid frame and respect to the supporting` attachment. Of `may beutilized for all purposes as a stretcher course,"the tiltingf'necessary, one `way or the and may be moved by any lifter; the use of the 10 other in certain cases does not affect the operaattachment does not deprive the patientfof the tion and use of this device. benet of the mattress; there is no difficulty in Among hospital equipment there is in general ailixing the supporting attachments to any of the use two types of beds; Therst type, known as beds that are in usein hospitals; there is no sagl anv invalid bed, is `provided with a spring, the ging of the patient o n the stretcher supporting 15 frame of whichs joined together at certain points attachment unless such is desired; and the lcost to provide rectangular sectionswhich 'may be and expense in furnishing the device-of this'inraisedV orlowered to change the patientrs position vention is very small.

from a reclining to a sitting position 'or any in- V'Ihe usual embodiment of the invention vcomtermediate .one at the will of kthe operator by prises a rigid rectangular frame, one long side 20.

turning of proper members at` the. foot of the of which frame is rotatable in one direction by bed. Asecond'typeo'fjbed'is the ordinary hosmeans of a ratcheting and web 'tightening arpital bed'with the usual straight spring. y rangement to be described later. The supporting In jcertain cases, such as fracture casesLit is material for this. supportingattachment or imperativetha't a patients position, vat least durstretcher comprises a series. of fabric webs span- 25.

ing a certain'length of time, remain unchanged. ning the distance between the two longitudinal Several diflicultie's automatically vfollow because sides and fastened thereto4 by means of studs enof this requirement. Forr one thing, a malady gaging withgrommets in the webbing. It will be known as bed sores can develop without there seen that upon movement of the tightening side,

being any way of massaging and treating the the webbing is tightenedY and until released there 30. aiected area. Secondly, it is diflicult to change will be no sag in the stretcher. Each ofthe the bed 'linen in such a case without some movev corners is provided with an integral legwhich is ment of the patient. Thirdly, if it becomes necadapted to stand either upon the frame of the essary to transfer such a patient, an attempt to bedor upon the iioor wherever it maybe set down.

35.v transfer while maintaininghis position unmoved In aftixingv this stretcher to an invalid bed, the 35 is diicult and uncertain and, lastly, the `use of head of the stretcher is fastened to the head porbed pans is made diflicult.` 'Ihese difficulties tion ofthe sectional spring Vframe and the lower would not arise if there was some way of eleportion of the stretcher ,tothevfoot section of the vating the patient from the bed in unchanged adjustablevspring. Then by manipulation of the 40 position. v members which raise the spring into sitting pcsi- 40 'An object of this'invention is to provide a pa-v tion, 'the stretcher is lifted away entirely from tientsupporting attachment for hospital beds the bed, spring and mattress, the WBbbinghaVrlg which will permit the elevation of the patient previously been tightenedsopthat the patients 01T thebedin unmoved position and a further obf body vdoes not sag. With the stretcher insuch Y ject of this invention is Vto Vprovide a removable elevated position, it immediately becomes a simple 45.

supporting `,attachfment which will permit ,the matter to pull the whole mattress out and insert a patient ,toV be transferred or` set down anywhere freshlychangedone or to` release one of the webwithout any changein hisposition.' A still'furbing4 strips for treatment of bed sores or other therY object'of this invention is to be found in ailments or for the use of the bed pan. When the thejprovisiongofsuch an attachment which will spring is returned toits flat position, the webbing 50 permit thetilting'of the patient as in hemorrhage strips on the stretcher are released and the casesfwithout` any necessityV of blocking up the mattressand bed spring take over the duty of supbed orusingrspecialapparatus.' Another object porting the body. To transfer the patient from ofthis invention is theprovision of an attachone place to another, the webbing is again tightment which' willuaise the patient .in unmoved ened andthe connections between.k the stretcher 5K5 and the bed spring are released and the patient in unmoved position on the stretcher may then be taken away.

As the ordinary hospital bed is not provided with means to elevate certain sections of the spring and to permit the use of the supporting attachment and stretcher of this invention therewith, two suspending frames are slipped over the head and foot of the bed and fastened in place, care being taken to prevent these suspending frames from scratching the bed. The effect of these frames is materially to heighten the foot and head of the bed. The stretcher which is resting on the frame of the bed above the spring is provided with supporting eyes at the top and bottcm thereof. These eyes are engaged by hooks attached to cables passing over pulleys at the top of the suspending frame and in turn being connected to a lower tightening bar at the bottom of the frame which is provided with a pawl to prevent the stretcher from slipping back once it has been raised. These lsuspending frames are made so that their width is adjustable for various sizes: of beds. On the other hand, it is usual to make a standard size stretcher foreach standard size bed. The operation and advantages in the use of this stretcher are the same regardless of the type of bed it is used upon. It is also apparent' that this stretcher may be tilted in oneV direction or the otherwhether it is used in conjunction with anV invalid bed or an ordinary bed.

Additional objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description and the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the supporting attachment or stretcher of this invention connected to an invalid bed.

Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation of the same' showing the stretcher in raised position.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the stretcher showing the webbing attachment. K

Fig. 4 is a side View and cross section of one of the long frame members in the stretcher taken through the ratchet assembly.4

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the ratchet construction in section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig, 6 is-a sectional View in elevation of a suspending frame in operation connected on the end of an ordinary bed.

Fig. 7 is a side View and cross section of the same. j

Fig. 8 is a plan View and section taken on line 8 3 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a detailed sectional view of the ratchet release mechanism on the stretcher frame.

Referring to the drawings, IU indicates the head and I I the foot of an invalid bed. This bed is provided with the usual side rails I2 to which are pivoted two elevating yokes I3. A sectional spring is pivoted to the rails I2 about at its mid point providing a head section I4 and thighand foot sections I5 Yokes I3 are connected by means of internally threaded sockets I6 to screwsV I'I which are turned by cranks I8 `atthefoot of the bed. Rotation of these cranks I8 rock the yokes I3 back and forth, causing the upper extensions thereof to raise and lower the head and foot sections of the bed spring, as will be seen in Fig. 2, To prevent any possibility` ofthe bed springing, an adjustable tie member I9 is connected between the head I8 and foot II of the bedrat the foot of the bed post thereof. Therusual mattress 20 is l furnished on top of the spring I4I-I5. To prepare this form of bed for the stretcher attachment, all that is necessary is the 'aiixing of two clamps 2 I, one on either side to the thigh portion of section I5 of the spring at the lower part thereof and two similar clamps 22 to the sides of frame I4 at the upper end of that head section.

The stretcher frame is rectangular in form and of a size to t the bed with which it is used and comprises two end members 23, a side member 24, and a movable side or tightening member 25. Integral supporting legs 26 are cast to the stretcher frame in each of the corners thereof. Usually legs 26 will stand on rails I2 of the bed when the stretcher is not in an elevated position. Side'- members 24 and 25 have along the bottom side thereof at spaced yintervals a series of swivel headed studs 2l which engage with oval grommets 28 placed in the ends of webbing strips 2S which span the stretcher frame from one side 24 to the other side 25 thereof. By turning the heads of the studs 2l, the webs are locked in position and, conversely, by turning them at right angles thereto all' or any of the webbing strips 29 may be removed. inasmuch as member 25 is a vtightening member, the studs 21 will have no n xed rotational position thereon. It is also preferable to furnish end members 23 with supporting integral eyes 38 for use-either in conjunction with its.

adaptation, to an ordinary bed as will be shown later or perhaps when a patient is being removed by a lifter. In fact, when the webbing strips29V are tightened, the patient may be moved any-" where or set on the floor without 'any relative change in his position.

To tighten the webbing strips 29 by the winding. thereof on' member 25, side member 25 is r'st' made rotatable and yet remains a portion ofthe Thus, fromA Fig. 4 it can be seen rigid frame. that side member 25l comprises a hollow tube 3I abutting the upper end of the frame near the joint between the side member 25 and the end member 23. A flat headed pin 33 with its. head 34 lcaught behind portion'32 of the 'joint of the frame extends through into tube 3I iand issecured thereto by key 35. This device is used to prevent' the side memberV 25 'from pulling out fromthe corner of the stretcher frame. f

i A ratcheting gear 36 is interposed between ,the other Vend of tube 3| and the end ofthe stretcher frame. The hub of the gear 36 extends into the joint at this end of the frame and is keyed at 31! to pin 38 keyed at 39r to hollow tube 3| into which it extends. A reduced portion 40 at the one end of pin 38 prevents the frame from pulling apart at that end. Key 39 just referred to also keys a ratchet lever 4I to side member 25, said lever 4I carrying a. ratchet pawl 42 pivoted to thev leverat- 43 and having la release extension 44. The pawl is kept in engagement with gear 36 by flat spring 45 fastened-to the plate of lever 4 I As the lever 4I is moved in the direction to tighten the webbing strips 29, aclicking dog 46 preserves the position of the side member v25. Tension in the webbing strips 29 would quickly unwind portions of the strips around member 25 if there was not provided the dog 46 which locks ratchet wheel 36 and consequently member 25 in place. The. dog 46 visfslotted at 41 for the passage of an assembling stud 48 which also positions a ratcheting plate 49 slottedat 50 to permit the releasev of dog 46 by the drawing back of projection'SI. A

' prising side channel members 51.

ywing bolts 53 are provided and are screwed into clamps 22, establishing a pivotal connection between the upper end ofk head section I4 of the spring and the stretcher frame. Just below the middle of the frame on members 24 and 25 are two collars 54 from which links 55 depend, the ends of these links being screwed by wing bolts 56 to clamps 2 I, establishing thereby a complete and controlled connection between the spring of an invalid bed and the stretcher frame.

To enjoy the benefits of the'stretcher of this invention in connection with its use on the ordinary hospital bed, there is provided two suspending frames, one for the head I and one for the foot `I I of the bed, these frames com- Members 51 make a right angle turn at the top, furnishing a portion of the top of the suspendingl frame 58. Portions 58, however, do not meet and a slidably connecting bar 59 is used and secured to each of the portions 58 0f one suspending frame. Midway of the frame are two overlapping straps 60 with registering slots through which two securing bolts 6I are fastened for strengthening purposes. The purpose of bar 59 and the straps G is to permit adjustability of the suspending frames to accommodate diierent sizes of beds. Felt or similar material is used to line sides 51 of the suspending frame so as not to scratch the head and foot of the bed and, furthermore, a tightening device of some kind must be used to establish the up and down position of the suspending frame on'the end of the bed. At the inner ends of portions 58 there are provided pulleys 62 over which Wire cables 63 pass, terminating at one end in a hook 64 which engages eyes 3D Von the stretcher frame. Such points of support for the stretcher furnish a stable and convenient method of changing its position when needed. The other ends of cable 63 pass downwardly outside the end of the bed and are fastened to and wound around an extensible bar 65 which terminates in a square end at one side for use with a crank 66 to raise and lower the stretcher frame according to the necessities of the case. The usual gear 61 and pawl 68 to preserve the position of the stretcher are found.

When using this stretcher, the patient is placed thereon and the webbing strips 29 released so that they rest directly on the mattress and spring of the bed. If his head is to be raised, as in certain types of cases, either side section I4 is elevated, tipping the stretcher in one direction, or the suspending frame at the head of the bed is used by turning crank 66 to raise that end of the stretcher. Conversely, if the feet are to be raised, either foot section I on the invalid bed is elevated or the suspending frame at the foot of the bed is used. Before such tilting, however, webbing strips 29 are tightened by means of ratchet lever 4I and they remain in this tightened position until dog 46 is withdrawn.

If, on the other hand, the stretcher as a Whole .is to be raised above the level of the mattress, the

webbing strips 29 are again tightened with the exception of any particular one in any particular locality, such as removing some. atcertain points for purposes of back massage or treatment or for the use of the, bed pan, or similar article. The remaining strips 29 are tightened and both sections on the invalid bed and both suspending frames on the ordinary bed are operated to lift the patient in unchanged position above the surface thereof for the purposes above described 0r for purposes such as changing the bed linen. Furthermore, the patient'may be handled on a device of this kind without fear of aggravation of injury because of his. unchanged position. Thus he may be transferred from one bed to another or set down on the floor while on the stretcher frame without any inconvenience or harm. Besides the advantages accruing to the hospital attendants and patients from the use 0f this invention, there are the added features of saving by virtue of its being an attachment for any type of bed and furthermore one that is easy to put into operation when needed.

Mere changes in form or structure in this invention apparent to anyone skilled in the practice of said art are considered within the scope thereof and such scope is not to be limited except as may be done by the appended claim.

I claim:

In combination, an invalid bed comprising a head section and a lower section each of which may be independently raised at will, a removable stretcher attachment overlying said sections, a rigid body supporting frame comprising a major portion of the said attachment, means pivotally connecting one end of the frame with one of said sections, a link pivotally connecting the frame with the other of said sections, and means whereby said sections may be raised independently or together for the elevation of said stretcher attachment in a horizontal or in a tilted position.

,EMILE A. RAFFO. 

